The Madcat
by Tynesider
Summary: On Halloween, Hunter's spooky story turns out to be more than just a tale. Oneshot. Rated for a mild bit of horror.


"Come on, it's just a little further," Elora coaxed, but while her tone may have worked with their parents it sure as hell didn't work with the gang of children around her feet.

"I'm tired, carry me!" a five year-old Gemcutter whined.

"I want more candy!" a young seahorse protested.

"Four eyes!" a kid Geargrinder jeered at an equally young Electroll for the umpteenth time, only this time he burst into tears. Elora bit her tongue to hold back her fury as she picked him up.

"Behave!" she ordered, "Or I'll tell your parents to take your...Barry, get back over here!"

The skeleton lurking by the lake's edge turned around, revealing its Colosi face, and it ambled back over to her side. Elora faced forward to continue leading the party, but was quickly forced to turn back as she noticed the gang of Sunny Beach turtles making a break for it. As she penned them back into the herd like unruly cowleks she wondered to herself whether or not being in charge of Summer Forest was really worth it. Sure, the power and the grand palace and the beautiful setting and affable people were all nice enough, but was it really worth enduring this every Halloween? Taking a gang of her peoples' brats out trick o' treating while their parents got mortally drunk in the taverns? She was all for giving back to the community and agreed that recognised holidays were a good time for her to share their burden, but not this. Anything but this. Prune trees; cook dinners; clean houses, anything except giving small children vast quantities of sugar and trying to keep them under control until 9 o'clock, and with the rush firmly installed in all of them there was no option left but to take them back to her house for the sake of keeping them in one place. Her opulent house, with many beautiful artworks and ornaments probing stubby hands would have no trouble destroying. She was already beginning to count the cost of the repairs needed when she opened the door.

"Right," she said, leading them inside and slamming the door shut once all were present, "Have you all had fun tonight?"

The children groaned.

"Aww, are we done?"

"I want more sweets!"

"There's no more houses to go to," she lied, setting the now soothed Electroll back on the floor. Another groan rose from the dishevelled kids. She almost felt sorry for them.

"Hey, don't be sad! You've all got loads of candy," she said half-heartedly. The disappointment melted from their faces, but the relief only lasted until one of them shouted,

"It's boring here!"

"Yeah!" the others said in unison. Elora chewed her lip and looked at the clock. Half an hour until parents started to arrive. Nowhere near short enough a time for them not to destroy something. The kids ran into the living room and dispersed amongst the furniture, candy bags clattering against it and chipping the wood.

"Kids!" she said involuntarily as thoughts of the wellbeing of that lovely statuette from Colossos filled her mind. Fourteen podgy juvenile faces turned to her, and she melted under their expectant looks. What did she say now? What entertainment had she to offer that wouldn't involve wrecking her house?

"How about I tell you all a story?" she punted for, and to her relief their faces lit up with delight.

"Yeah!"

"Great! Now, everybody sit down right here."

They obeyed and sat in a circle on the floor, away from the furniture. She grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it to the head of the circle.

"Okay," she said, "What do you want a story about?"

"A scary one!" one of the kids proclaimed. The others quickly voiced their agreement.

"A scary story?" Elora said, racking her brains for one and finding nothing, "Are you sure? You might..."

"Yeah!"

"Scary story!"

"Scary story!"

"Scary story!"

"Oh dear..." she muttered under her breath. What now? Surely she could make something up? Or not. Coining stories on the spot wasn't her speciality. Were there any tales she knew she could rework? What about the stories from back in Fracture Hills? Oh God, no. They would take too much explaining beforehand and too much therapy afterwards. But what were her other options? She drummed her hooves against the floor to buy her a few more precious seconds, and they were enough for salvation to arrive.

She leapt to her feet when she heard the door open and footsteps on the carpet.

"Hello?" she said, far too desperately, but her confidence was dealt a blow when the arrival poked their head around the wall. "Oh, hey Hunter," she said sullenly, but she picked up when an opportunity struck her.

"Hey, Elora," Hunter said, "Do you have any marshmallows left over..."

"Say Hunter, you know any good ghost stories?"

"Huh?"

"Ghost stories. The kids here want one, and I know you have a few tales on you. Why don't you tell them one?"

"Huh?" Hunter repeated, but he sounded less resistant as he noticed the expectant eyes on him. His ears dropped, and Elora took the opportunity to lean in and whisper,

"I have marshmallows. You only get them if you do."

He frowned, sickened by her blackmail, but reluctantly shook his head and sat down in the chair she had vacated.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

"You owe me more than marshmallows," he whispered back, then turned to the children. A sneaky leer spread across his face.

"So," he said, grasping every child's attention. Elora took the opportunity to extinguish all but one lantern behind Hunter, casting his shadow into the centre of the ring of children. "Summer Forest is very nice, isn't it?"

The children nodded between handfuls of popping candy. Hunter gave a sinister laugh that stopped them eating.

"I'll take it from that that you don't know about the monster."

"What monster?"

"You haven't heard of the Madcat of Summer Forest?" Hunter said incredulously, "Honestly, parents these days. When I was little everyone knew about him."

The hands on the candy bags fell limp. Elora looked on impressed, but Hunter didn't break character.

"Do you want to know?"

"Yeah," the kids said nervously. Hunter leaned in closer and the kids copied, wide-eyed in sickened curiosity.

"Well, once he was just a regular cheetah like me. He lived among the cheetah clans and did everything the other cheetahs did. But one day, one seemingly ordinary day, something happened."

The kids somehow leaned in closer.

"What happened?"

"Some say it was an accident while hunting; others say it was a love rival of his and he did it deliberately, but out in the forests he killed someone."

The kids yelped.

"For his crime he was exiled to live alone in the forests, but the story doesn't end here. Maybe it was loneliness or guilt or simply anger, but he carried on killing. He attacked the cheetah hunting parties and killed as many as he could. Soon the cheetahs stopped hunting there for their own safety, but with nowhere to hunt food quickly began to run out. The cheetahs were starving, but none of them dared go into the forest."

"What did the cheetahs do?"

"They sought help from the magical folk. They spoke to the fairies and the wizards about their plight, and they agreed to do something about it."

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

Hunter held up a hand. The children calmed instantly.

"They went into the forest." Another pause for a gasp of horror. "And they found the cheetah, and using their magic they forced him into the caves deep beneath the forest where he could harm no-one, and to ensure he didn't escape forged a magical ring around his finger that stopped him from leaving the cave."

Murmurs of relief rose from the children, but their faces tensed up again when they noticed Hunter's grin.

"However," he added, "The wizards and the fairies wanted to punish the cheetah for his murderous ways, so when they forged the ring they added another rule to it. During the day it keeps him underground, but at night, when everyone is in bed, it allows him to roam Summer Forest freely. That's his eternal torture: he can walk around free again, but there's no-one around for him to kill. But he tries, oh he tries. That's why your parents want you home before dark and lock the doors and windows once everyone's inside, just in case he's roaming around your house that evening and catches you alone at night."

Little hands began to shiver. Elora too felt a sense of unease dwell in her, but she was too enthralled in Hunter's evil glare to look away.

"And, kids, do you know something?"

He held out an arm and turned it over, then raised his hand and stretched out a lone finger. Around it, its metal shining blindingly in the lone light, was a ring.

"It's night-time, isn't it?"

The children screamed and scrambled away, abandoning the candy they had clung firmly too all night. Hunter cackled and rose to his feet, and as Elora spied the children scanning the furniture for something to throw at him she rushed to intervene.

"It's alright! It's alright!" she said, "It's just a story. He's just making it up."

The fear remained in their eyes, but as Elora crouched in front of them and gave a comforting smile they stopped panicking.

"It's not real," she reassured, "It's just a story."

The children looked between her eyes and Hunter's, and even with his look softened they struggled to choose who to believe. Elora chewed her lip as the indecision drew on, but the tension evaporated as the door slammed open and a stream of parents ran into the room.

"What's going on?"  
"We heard screaming!"

"Are you alright, sweetheart?"

The parents jostled to find their children, knocking over a lamp and a vase as they fought, both of them smashing on the floor. Elora's eyes ignited, but before the anger could properly set in she was distracted by angry sets of eyes bearing down on her.

"Oh...erm, they asked for a ghost story," she hastily explained, "And my friend here gave them one, and it spooked them a little, is all. No real harm done," she insisted, but the parents continued to glare at her as they gathered up their childrens' candy and shuttled out the door.

They closed it with a vicious slam, and the reverberation shook a nail from the corridor wall and sent the picture hanging from it tumbling to the ground. Elora sighed as it shattered against the floor.

"Oh," Hunter said.

Elora sighed again. "Well, at least it's over with now."

"Yeah," his face twisted with unease, "Do...do you mind..."

"Marshmallows. Of course." She went to the cupboard and pulled out a bag, which she threw to Hunter. He practically tore it open and stuffed a handful into his mouth. It was mid-chew that he realised Elora was smirking at him.

"Oh...sorry, I'm being rude."

"It's alright, you deserve it anyway," she smiled, "Thanks for saving my bacon."

"No problem," he raised his hand again, "Incredible what an old cheetah tale and a wedding ring can do, ain't it?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah," he smiled apologetically, "Anyway, I'm sorry but I have to go. Bianca will have been waiting for me for ages now, and I'm in enough trouble as it is."

"It's alright."

She escorted him to the door and opened it for him. He stepped out onto the landing, but hesitated at the top of the steps and turned back around.

"Forgot something?" Elora asked.

"No," he twitched awkwardly, "Are you alright, Elora?"

His question took her by surprise.

"Er...yeah," she said, taken aback. The intonation it gave her voice made Hunter flinch again.

"Are you sure? I know how much you hate this night anyway, and it's ended so badly. I'm just a bit worried."

"No, Hunter, I'm fine," she said, "Don't worry about me, I brush these things off quickly. I can always get another lamp."

"Oh, that's good then."

"Yeah," now it was her turn to shift, "Thanks for your concern, though, I appreciate it."

"No problem."

"And thanks for coming round, too. I don't have many visitors these days."

"That's a shame. I'd come around more often but y'know, marriage and all that."

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she stepped out of the doorway, "Alright, I know we aren't tight-knit like we used to be, but that happens. We have more important things to do with our lives and they get in the way, but there's nothing we can do about it. Besides, if you're guilty then I'm guiltier than you – when was the last time I came around to your place? And when was the last time I bailed you out of trouble?"

Hunter cocked an eyebrow. "Two weeks ago, when I was caught shooting Earthshapers in Fracture Hills."

"Well, yeah, but you know what I mean," her smile widened, "Thanks for just being around."

She held out her arms, and Hunter did the same.

"Thanks to you too," he said as they shared a brief hug.

"You're welcome," she playfully pushed him away, "Now go on, get back to your wife. And watch out for the Madcat."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "If you say so. See ya."

They waved one another goodbye and Elora retreated back into her house. She plucked a broom from the cupboard and began to sweep up the shards of wood and china that littered the floor, listening to Hunter's footsteps fade away and enjoying the happiness the thought of him gave her, a thought that evaporated as she heard a low groan.

She stopped sweeping and primed her ears, and sure enough the sound rang out again, only more focused, and less of a groan and more of a guttural roar coming from the ground below. She froze still, but a curious eye on the window forced her towards it. The roar rang out again, louder this time and far more malicious. She started to sweat and her footsteps became more laboured. And then Hunter screamed.

"Hunter!" she shrieked. She ran the last few yards to the window, and screamed again as she looked to the ground below. Lying lifeless on the floor was Hunter, face down, a red patch on his neck, and looming over him with red-stained jaws, hot breath billowing out between them, was the Madcat. It looked up at her as it heard her scream and she froze still, the malice in its eyes making tears spill from her own, but no amount of horror could will her to look away. Her eyes were locked on his, and she could see in them its desire for another victim, a desire to tear the flesh and taste the blood of another helpless soul, and that helpless soul was her. Her legs began to quake as the Madcat sunk its stance to run, and as she readied herself to sprint for the door to lock it the Madcat suddenly smiled and said in Hunter's voice,

"Scared?"

She stopped sobbing, and as the reality sunk in her lips curled into a snarl. The Madcat saw this and burst into laughter. He kicked Hunter's deceased body, sending a sheet of carefully cut fur flying through the air, and as if on cue a crowd emerged from the shadows. Bianca, the kids, and their parents, all laughing. Elora ground her teeth and jabbed a finger at Hunter.

"You!" she roared, "I'm going to kill you! Do you know how scared I was?!"

Her outburst only made Hunter laugh louder.

"I'm serious!" she snarled, "Honestly, I wax lyrical about how great a friend you are and you do this!"

It took Hunter a good few seconds to calm down enough to speak.

"S-sorry, Elora," he wheezed, "But I couldn't l-let a good...plan go to w-waste!"

Elora cocked an eyebrow. "Plan?"

"Your entire night's been part of my plan," he smirked, "Do you not think it was a tiny bit convenient that I turned up when you needed to hear a ghost story? This night's been three months in the making, and everyone here except you was in on it."

"Even the kids?"

"Especially the kids. Have to say they put in a good performance, didn't they?"

She slumped down on the windowledge.

"So this entire night was just a big plan for you to give me a scare."

"Yep, and you fell for it completely. I didn't even have to steer you into me telling that story, you did that yourself!" He laughed again. It drew a noticeable groan from Elora. "Hey, don't look so down," Bianca stepped forward and handed him a brightly-coloured bag, "You've had your trick, so here's your treat."

He threw the bag up to her. She caught it with a lazy thrust of her arm, and read the label. Marshmallows.

"To make up for the ones that I stole," he said, "Happy Halloween."

She stared at the packet a while longer, then looked back at Hunter. He was smiling, and the longer she stared at him the more she felt her anger melt away, and as she caught sight of Bianca and the parents and the children at their feet smiling too she stood up straight again. She opened the packet and grabbed a handful, and as she shoved them into her mouth looked back at Hunter. She was smiling long before their sweet taste hit her tongue.

* * *

**It's Halloween, so I've decided to rear my ugly head once again. Have a hastily thrown together mildly-spooky story! :D**

**I wouldn't say this is too bad given how many different endings I tried to write before I settled on the one you see. All of them had an undercurrent of Elora and Hunter though, because they don't get much love and I'm keen to fix that. I also probably could have thought of a better name for a baddie than 'Madcat' but hey, sometimes you realise that you're wasting your time on trivial internet projects and just can't be arsed. :D**

**Happy Halloween 2013. :)**


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